23 Eddie Bauer Stores to Close

Eddie Bauer said this week that it will close 23 stores nationwide by the end of January, according to published reports.

As previously reported, parent company Spiegel Inc. received court permission last month to open 15 new Eddie Bauer stores.

Spiegel, which filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2003, was thought to be ready to announce the sale of Eddie Bauer last year until it said in November that it failed to get any satisfactory offers for the company. Though Spiegel is expected to file a reorganization plan this quarter for Eddie Bauer, Redmond, WA, it may still sell the chain.

The stores set to close reportedly underperformed, have impending lease negotiations or are in an area with multiple locations.

Chantal Todé covers catalog and retail news and BTB marketing for DM News and DM News.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters